Dauntless
by Flyere
Summary: Tori Wu always thought she was destined for Erudite, but her test results proved otherwise. We go back six years, to find Tori at sixteen. This is her story. K for some violence


"Aptitude day!"

My eyes fly open in shock and I scramble back in my bed. "George! What are you-get out!"

"Mom said to wake you up Tori" he replies, sticking out his tongue at me. "You can't be late today. You know, like every other day?"

"Get out" I snap, shoving him out the door.

"Strong" he teases. "All that might get you Dauntless"

"I'm Erudite through and through George" I say, sticking my tongue out in return, but as I say it I can't help but doubt my own words. I had never really fit in, not like George and my younger brother Cole.

"We'll see. Bus comes in a half hour and dads pissed already, he think you'll miss it again."

"Tell him I won't" I reply with a roll of my eyes. "Now _get out_ so I can change!"

He finally leaves, laughing, and I latch the door behind him. I really have to remember to do that before I go to bed..."

I slide on the normal black leggings and blue shirt I wear every day. Abnegation kids have it rough, wearing those flowing dull robes every day. Although they're so selfless they probably think they're doing us a service by wearing all the ugly clothes.

Running a brush through my tangled black hair takes a few seconds- it's probably not fully brushed anyways. I curse when I check the clock- seven thirty. Bus comes in fifteen minutes and I don't have shoes on.

I pull on boots as I pull on my blue jacket, with disastrous results-somewhere between tripping and falling in a heap. I quickly collect myself and head downstairs.

George tosses and apple my way and picks up his bag. "Let's go! By Mom! By Dad!"

I follow him to the bus, which now is packed. Cole took the earlier bus, because he had a project to do or something. A pair of Stiff kids give us their seats, and I begrudgingly thank them.

We have less that three minuted to arrive when the bus pulls in. I barely say a word to George before rushing to my first class, not wanting to be late for the umpteenth time.

The morning classes trickled by, and I found myself zoning out in more that one class. I barely made it through Faction History, but eventually the bell rang and we were released to lunch. I didn't eat anything-I didn't want to, not before the simulation. I resign to swirling the mushy rice around in to different patterns while George and the rest of my friends ate. Cara, Meira, and Kaleigh, to be precise, although Cara only tags along since she has a crush on George.

"Nervous?" George asks me, looking down on my uneaten plate of food. "Aren't you?" I reply, looking up from the flower I was drawing in the rice.

"I'm not" Cara interjects. "Why would I be? Who's nervous for a simple test?"

I shoot her a glare. That loudmouth belongs in Candor.

"Careful Cara. Bravery might get you in to dauntless." I grin thankfully at Meira. Kaleigh nods. "Yeah, you're awfully brave Cara. So brave that you ran from the room screaming yesterday when I found a spider in politics." Her cheeks turn red and she stands. "I'm going to find Will" she snaps.

"Have fun with your younger brother!" I call. "He's what, ten?"

She doesn't respond. I'm glad.

"Yeah, I'm nervous, but who isn't? Not like it's our whole futures from here on out" Kaleigh interjects. "I know I'll live mine out in Erudite, though. I'm sure of it."

I nod, as though I agree, but I can't be sure.

The door to the lunchroom opens and the room falls silent. "Students under Choosing Age,no lease go to your fifth block classes." The sound of chairs scraping fills the room as the younger students clear out.

"From Abnegation, Alice West and Cole White. From Candor, Joshua Burns and Freida Alison. From Amity, Layla Stark and Emma Dole, and from Erudite Cara Greene and Thomas Stake." The caller is a short, plump man from Abnegation. The ten who were called stand and follow him to the front classrooms.

I tap my hand on the table, effectively tuning out all of the names until "Kaleigh Rivers" is called from Erudite. I squeeze her hand reassuringly. "Good luck" Meira whispers.

"Meira Amber and George Wu!" I grab George's hand before he leaves. "Are you nervous?"

He shakes his head. I should have known. He's never nervous.

Only a few people remain when they call "Victoria Wu and Faith Alder" from Erudite. I stand nervously, walking unsurely towards the Stiff man. He leads me to one of the testing rooms. Unlike the glass which makes up the walls on most places in the school, this one is made up of mirrors. Must be a shock to the Stiffs.

"Take a seat" the woman in front of me says when I sit down. She is, of course, an Abnegation, like most of the testers, apart from a Dauntless and an Erudite who test the other Stiffs.

"My name is Eliza. This won't hurt a bit, promise." I sit down in the leather chair, and she hands me a glass of orange liquid. "Drink." I give her an odd look, but bring the vial to my lips anyways and take a sip. My eyes close.

Suddenly, I am sitting in the cafeteria. It is deserted. I look around to see no one. I am alone.

A woman appears in front of me. "Chose" she commands, pointing to the two baskets. I look down. One holds a huge, fresh junk of cheese, the other a knife. The smarter choice would be the cheese. Self-sustainment is much more important than fighting. But I can't help but be drawn to the knife, with it's carved black handle and shining silver blade.

The woman, and the baskets disappear. In their place is a dog.

A huge, menacing dog. I back up a few steps. I have feared dogs ever since a trip to the Amity compound in the first grade. A huge dog from the farms jumped on me and knocked me out for several hours.

This one won't go away. I try to keep calm, because I know dogs can smell fear, but it won't stop. It jumps. I hold out the knife and squeeze my eyes shut

It squeals, a horrible sound that makes me cringe. I prt open my eyes and see the dog, lying on its side, knife sticking out of it's rib cage. He is still breathing, but shallowly and rapidly. I pull out the knife and he whines. The monster I faced preciously has been reduced to this. I almost cry as I sink the knife through his heart. Put him out of his pain I think, as I step back. I choke on a sob and fall.

I wake up.

"Interesting" the Stiff- Eliza- says. "Your test results proved your aptitude for Dauntless. Congratulations. You can now leave to have time to think about the choosing ceremony tomorrow."

Dauntless?  
I gape for a moment, before shutting my mouth and holding back a tear. I am not smart. I am not selfless, peaceful, or Honest. But I am not brave either.

I come out and see George hunched over one of the tables. "Let's go" I say to him when I approach. I'm hoping he can't feel the falseness of the cheer in my voice.

We take the bus home. The sky is drizzly and grey, matching my feelings.

When we get off, I turn to George. "What did you get?"

"Erudite" he says quickly. I bite my lip. What do I do now?

"I-" my voice breaks off and I let out a tear. "Tori?" He asks.  
"I- Erudite" I manage, then race inside the house.

At dinner I am composed and ready. Our parents don't ask about our tests, because it isn't allowed. I resolve to choose Erudite, no matter what my test says. I will stay with my brother.

"May I go to bed?" I ask when the dishes are cleared away. "Yes" my father says, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "Full membership starts tomorrow!"

I bite my lip and cringe. What would he say if he knew? I nod meekly and run up the stairs.

That night I dream that I pick Dauntless, and all my friends laugh. "You won't make it a day" they say. "You'll fall off the train." George comes up to me in front of everyone. "Tori the traitor" he says loudly, and everyone begins to chant it. Even my family, my friends, even my new faction members.

I wake up with a start. "No!" I yell, before realizing I am safe in my room. I rub my eyes with fatigue. It was all a dream...

I dress in my Erudite clothes, of black leggings and a blue jacket, with the eye emblem sewn on in black. Will I still be wearing it after today?

Yes. I tell myself firmly. I won't leave behind my family. More so, I won't leave George behind. We are family.

The bus ride to the ceremony is packed with the Erudite. We receive many transfers each year, and most people try to come to the ceremony. And, we won't lie, to outdo the Stiffs. Even though they hardly get any transfers, practically the whole Faction comes.

This year, the Dauntless lead the ceremony. The cycles are rotated so that each faction gets a turn. They try not to have rivaling factions one year after another. Abnegation goes, then Candor to separate Erudite and Abnegation, after that Erudite to separate Candor and Amity, and then Dauntless, far from Amity. A pierced, tattooed man named Max stands up to the plate. I can't help but admire the way he carries himself-the kind of reckless and strong the Dauntless are so famed for.

He reads the faction manifestos before calling up the first initiate. They will be called in reverse alphabetical order, meaning for the first time in my life I will go near the front of the list.

"Zaharias, David." A short boy from Amity takes the knife max gives him. He makes a small nick on his hand and almost looks like he's about to cry. I snort. He wouldn't last a day in Dauntless.

He sprinkles a drop of blood on the soil before standing alone behind the seats of the Amity. He stayed with his Faction, like any good son. My stomach turns.

The first transfer is Yates, Miles, a lanky boy from Candor. He jerks his hand out over the clear water and he becomes an Erudite. A member of my Faction.

"Wu, George." My brother smiled as he steps up to the podium and jerks the knife across his palm. He looks like he's about to sprinkle it in the water when he pulls his hand farther to the right, and it sizzles on the stones. A murmur goes through the crowd, and I stand in shock. My brother, Dauntless?

"Wu, Victoria" I step forward nervously. I still haven't decided.

I am an Eritude. I am a Dauntless.

I am smart. I am brave.

I take a deep breath and slice open my palm. Blood wells up on my hand and I clench my fist before holding it over the coals.

I will stay with George. I will listen to my test results. I know I am brave.

My eyes meet those of Eliza's in the Stiff sector. She nods slightly and gives me a sad smile. Did she do the same thing? I look away.

My eyes then wander to those of my family. My mother and father are staring at us with an obvious disbelief-wondering how we could leave them, and Cole, with nothing. Our emptiness will be forgotten soon enough though. We never had a very close family.

My hand finds George's under behind the chairs, and I clench it tightly. Gone is any sibling animosity we had between us. George is all I have now.

And I am all he has now.


End file.
